Top 15 2006

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PuckFan01

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VOB said:
That's if Peter goes to the USHL. I know that Everette is pushing hard for him and are confident that they will land him.

How many times have I seen a GM say he is "confident" of something and then see it turn out differently? Plenty. It is just a bunch of posturing to the media.

If you take the kid at face value, odds are he'll be in college hockey in 2006. Cause he has made it pretty clear he prefers to play college hockey.
 

Fedz

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Behind the Bench
I posted this mid season on the prospects boards, but lots has changed.

1. Michal Frolik
http://www.hcrabatkladno.cz/images/hraci/8776.jpg
Kladno Poldi
Feb 17, 1988
LW
6'1"
176
Pøíprava Kladno 10gp, 2g, 3a, 5pts, 4pim
Extraliga Kladno 16gp, 0g, 1a, 1pts, 8pim

2. Phil Kessel
http://edit.usahockey.com/files/E91...0340003BA5FE009
NTDP (u-18)
Oct 2, 1987
C
6'0"
185
14gp, 16g, 13a, 29pts, 8pim, E

3. Jesse Joensuu
http://www.assat.fi/materiaalit/imgs/a_18.jpg
Assat Pori
Oct 10, 1987
RW
6'4"
194
SM-LiigaL: 6gp, 0g, 0a, 0pts, 0pim
A-SM: 28gp, 7g, 9a, 16pts, 18pim

4. Aleksander Vasjunov
No Picture Available
Yaroslavl Lokomotiv(Div3)
Apr 22, 1988
C
5'11"
176
18gp, 6g, 1a, 7pts

5. Peter Mueller
http://edit.usahockey.com/files/E91...0340003BA5FE009
NTDP (u-18)
Apr 14, 1988
C
6'1.5"
199
21gp, 14g, 11a, 25pts, 32pim, +1

6. Bryan Little
http://www.barriecolts.com/images/P...tle_profile.jpg
Barrie Colts
Nov 12, 1987
C
5'10"
171
34gp, 17g, 18a, 35pts, 14im, +13

7. Jonathan Toews
No Picture Available
Shattucks St.Mary's
Apr 29, 1988
C
6'2"
185
Stats Unavailable

8. Ben Maxwell
http://www.kootenayice.net/setup/content/benmaxwell.jpg
Kootenay Ice
Mar 30, 1988
C
6'1"
173
36gp, 3g, 6a, 9pts, 23pim, +2

9. James Sheppard
http://www.capebretoneagles.com/ass...es/sheppard.jpg
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Mar 25, 1988
LW
6'2"
199
37gp, 9g, 14a, 23pts, 20pim, +5

10. Jordan Staal
http://ohldraft.ilap.com/ps2004/photos/staal_jordan.jpg
Peterborough Petes
Sep 9, 1988
LW
6'3"
200
36gp, 2g, 10a, 12pts, 14pim, -3

11. Matthew Corrente
http://ohldraft.ilap.com/ps2004/pho...nte_matthew.jpg
Saginaw Spirit
Mar 17, 1988
D
5'11.5"
187
33gp, 3g, 6a, 9pts, 45pim, -25

12. Tomas Marcinko
No Picture Available
Kosice
Apr 11, 1988
LW
6'2"
169
HC Kosice JR 28, 10g, 5a, 15pts, 20pim, +18
HC Kosice SR 4gp, 0g, 0a, 0pts, 0pim, +1

13. Ben Shutron
http://www.kingstonfrontenacs.com/p...utronBen-sm.jpg
Kingston Frontenacs
Jun 14, 1988
D
6'1"
185
31gp, 3g, 13a, 16pts, 12pim, -1

14. Erik Johnson
http://edit.usahockey.com/files/E91...0340003BA5FE009
USNTDP (u-17)
Mar 21, 1988
D
6'3.5"
206
21gp, 4g, 5a, 9pts, 6pim

15. Joe Palmer
http://edit.usahockey.com/files/E91...0340003BA5FE009
USNTDP (u-17)
Feb 19, 1988
G
6'1"
205
11gp,5w, 6l, 0t .897%, 3.32GAA, 2SH

16. Benjamin Breault
http://contenu.le-drakkar.com/pop_j...ultBenjamin.jpg
Baie Comeau Drakkar
Feb 21, 1988
C
5'10"
173
27gp, 6g, 14a, 20pts, 17pim, -9

17. Kyle Okposo
No Picture Available
Shattucks St.Mary's
USNDTP (u-17)
Apr 16, 1988
6'0"
190

18. Ryan McDonough
http://sudburywolves.com/players/TN...20McDonough.jpg
Sudbury Wolves
C
5'10"
175
35gp, 9g, 17a,26pts, 22pim, -10

19. David Ruzika
No Picture Available
Kladno (Cze. Jr.)
D
6'1"
154
23gp, 2g, 6a, 8pts, 77pim

20. Mitch Fadden
http://www.seattlethunderbirds.com/...yers/fadden.jpg
Seattle Thunderbirds
Apr 3, 1988
C
5'll"
160
29gp, 5g, 7a, 12pts, 17pim, +7

21. Jiri Tslutsy
Stats Unavailable

22. Vlad Zharkov
No Picture Available
CSKA Moscow2 (Div3)
LW
6'1"
173
22gp, 2g, 0a, 2pts, 8pim

23. Keegan Dansreneau
http://www.hitmenhockey.com/images/...auKeegan_HS.jpg
Calgary Hitmen
Jan 1, 1988
LW
5'11
182
21gp, 2g, 3a, 6pts, 9pim, -1

24. Tony Lagerström
No Picture Available
Södertälje SK (Swe. Jr.)
RW
6'0"
181
13gp, 5g, 3a, 8pts, 10pim

25. Brady Calla
http://everettsilvertips.com/news/i...a,_Brady_sm.jpg
Everett Silvertips
Mar 14, 1988
RW
6'0"
185
35gp, 6g, 6a, 12pts, 17pim, +10

26. Dustin Butler
http://whl.ca/img/players/23261.jpg
Portland WinterHawks
D
6'0"
161
32gp, 12w, 14l, 3t, .904%, 2.49GAA, 4SO

27. Ben Strait
http://www.usahockey.com/files/E915...0340003BA5FE009
Jan 4, 1988
D
6'0"
181
21gp, 2g, 4a, 6pts

28. Bobby Hughes
http://ontariohockeyleague.com/img/players/3116.jpg
Kingston Frontenacs
Nov 11, 1987
C
5'11"
177
33gp, 6g, 21a, 27pts, 20pim, -1

29. Cory Emmerton
http://ontariohockeyleague.com/img/players/3892.jpg
Kingston Frontenacs
Jun 1, 1988
C
6'0"
190
29gp, 9g, 11a, 20pts, 2pim, +1

30. Jason Legault
http://tigres.ivic.qc.ca/photos/19jl04sm.jpg
Victoriaville Tigre
Feb 23, 1988
D
6'1"
209
37gp, 5g, 7a, 12pts, 16pim, -19

I'd have to throw Palmer a lot lower, maybe even second round material, and obviously Kessel is now 1st in my books as he is with everyone else.
 

VOB

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PuckFan01 said:
How many times have I seen a GM say he is "confident" of something and then see it turn out differently? Plenty. It is just a bunch of posturing to the media.

If you take the kid at face value, odds are he'll be in college hockey in 2006. Cause he has made it pretty clear he prefers to play college hockey.


He may or may not end up playing college hockey. Some pretty informed sources have said that he is strongly considering playing in the WHL.
 

Hossa

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Jason MacIsaac said:
James Sheppard is the king from the Q. Amazing allround game in just his first season. Had to lead Cape Breton going into the playoffs as a 16 year old because of injuries.

I went to a few of the games in that series, and I noticed such a difference from the Sheppard of that time, and the Sheppard of even a few months before. The kid's got a very, very high ceiling, and I'm excited to see what he does next year.
 

Funkymoses

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VOB said:
He may or may not end up playing college hockey. Some pretty informed sources have said that he is strongly considering playing in the WHL.

VOB, you say this for every damn blue-chip prospect who's heading for the NCAA. You're right about 10% of the time and then you use the defection of someone like Duncan Keith to paint a picture of the imminent demise of the NCAA and the rise of the CHL machines. :shakehead:
 

cagney

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I wouldn't be surprised at all if Mueller ends up in the WHL. He's got a chance to go very high in the draft and the WHL probably has a very good chance of selling itself as the best alternative for this coming year. I think he could develop fine in the USHL but I still think it's very likely that he'll pick the WHL route. Evey one of these kids wants to get into the NHL as soon as possible whether it's best for them or not and the WHL route is just faster than the USHL to NCAA route.
 

Crosby=Gretzky

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Pipeandin said:
Who are the top Goalies and D?
J-C Blanchard should be considered as #2 after Bernier. The top D's are(IMO) Matthew Corrente, from the OHL, Alex Lamontagne from the Q and Erik Johnson from the US National Development Program. And the draft could be even better if the NHL changes the Entry Draft rules. Then Zach Hamill would be egilible for this draft. And then it would be up to seven Everett players egilible for the draft:Brendan Zasitko, Brady Calla, Leland Irving, Mueller, Cody Thoring, Zach Sim and Hamill.
 

PuckFan01

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cagney said:
Evey one of these kids wants to get into the NHL as soon as possible whether it's best for them or not and the WHL route is just faster than the USHL to NCAA route.

Remarks like yours are ridiculous. Is Phil Kessel going to get to the NHL any faster if he played in the WHL? No. Guys who are expected to go very high in the draft (like Kessel, Toews and Mueller) have the kind of talent that they can chose their own path and still get to the NHL at pretty much the same pace no matter which route they take.

Mueller will be a top 10 draft pick with or without the WHL and will still get to the pros. The difference is he didn't grow up dreaming of playing in the WHL. However, he did grow up dreaming of playing for the hometown college hockey team

Guys like Vanek, Parise and a number of other high draft picks from college still get paid their big cash and they get to the pros. They may spend some time in the minors but there are plenty of WHL guys who end up having stays in the minors as well so that is a moot point.

The "right" path is simply the one that is best for that particular individual. The idea that there is a "quickest" path is just a bunch of hoopla spouted by those people who don't like their old boys network to be threatened.
 

PuckFan01

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Funkymoses said:
VOB, you say this for every damn blue-chip prospect who's heading for the NCAA. You're right about 10% of the time and then you use the defection of someone like Duncan Keith to paint a picture of the imminent demise of the NCAA and the rise of the CHL machines. :shakehead

Exactly. :clap:
 

VOB

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Funkymoses said:
VOB, you say this for every damn blue-chip prospect who's heading for the NCAA.:

Really, such as who? I think that fuzz has seeped into your brain there Funky.


I can tell you this, Mueller is being heavily courted by Everett and he is seriously considering and that is a FACT (a word that is not in your vocab there funky).


Note to all the Funkys of the world, I AM NOT SAYING THAT HE WILL BOLT TO THE WHL, merely that he is giving it strong consideration.
 
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VOB

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PuckFan01 said:
Remarks like yours are ridiculous. Is Phil Kessel going to get to the NHL any faster if he played in the WHL? No. Guys who are expected to go very high in the draft (like Kessel, Toews and Mueller) have the kind of talent that they can chose their own path and still get to the NHL at pretty much the same pace no matter which route they take.
.


Perhaps Mueller doesn't want to pretend to be a student like Vanek, Parise et all and simply concentrate on hockey, get drafted and then hit a NHL camp (free of cost) rather than play in the USHL, get drafted, and then enroll at Minny, play for one year or two at the most and then leave without completing his degree. Maybe he's saying why bother with that if my primary goal is to get to the NHL as soon as possible!

It will be interesting to see what happens PuckFan and he may end up at Minny, but do not think for one second that he is not seriously considering the Dub right now.
 

PuckFan01

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VOB said:
Perhaps Mueller doesn't want to pretend to be a student like Vanek, Parise et all and simply concentrate on hockey, get drafted and then hit a NHL camp (free of cost) rather than play in the USHL, get drafted, and then enroll at Minny, play for one year or two at the most and then leave without completing his degree. Maybe he's saying why bother with that if my primary goal is to get to the NHL as soon as possible!

It will be interesting to see what happens PuckFan and he may end up at Minny, but do not think for one second that he is not seriously considering the Dub right now.

I laugh at the comments that somehow just because an elite prospect goes to college and leaves early, this means the individual was never interested in an education in the first place. Pretends to be a student? Whatever.

People around here in MN would laugh at such remarks about Parise as he was well known as a very good student. Vanek did well in college as well. If anything, they gained big money in the end and shortened any future stay in college by polishing off two years while developing their abilities. Most of these hockey players are going to end up in some profession after hockey and it won't hurt them to be able to get some of their education out of the way now. More power to them. They won't regret it.

As for Mueller, I never said he wouldn't look at the WHL. Why not look at all the options? But the kid has outwardly expressed that he wants to play college hockey at Minnesota. I have yet to see or hear one statement from him in which he says anything about truly wanting to play in the WHL.
 

VOB

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PuckFan01 said:
I laugh at the comments that somehow just because an elite prospect goes to college and leaves early, this means the individual was never interested in an education in the first place. Pretends to be a student? Whatever.
.


Never said that they did not have the ability to be good students, just that earning a degree was a secondary minor objective to the true goal of playing pro hockey. Afterall if education was all that, as you are impying, would not the Vaneks and Parises stuck around to actually earn their degrees?

Perhaps Mueller wants to dispense with that minor objective and concentrate on reaching his main goal as soon as possible. If that it is the case, then the WHL will be a very real possibility for him.
 

PuckFan01

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VOB said:
Never said that they did not have the ability to be good students, just that earning a degree was a secondary minor objective to the true goal of playing pro hockey. Afterall if education was all that, as you are impying, would not the Vaneks and Parises stuck around to actually earn their degrees?

My point is that once their career is over (or maybe when their career is more established), they'll be able to finish more easily and faster. These guys seem to value that even though they may end up leaving early if they get some big money thrown their way. I don't blame them for signing early because there are no guarantees they won't get hurt and lose their opportunity.

Most of these guys do things after their career is over. Let's face it, its not like playing in the NHL for most of these guys ends up as their only job for life. These guys leave the game at a relatively young age and will generally need something to fall back on.

Plus, I have yet to see any person who thinks getting an education is a bad thing.

JP Parise has said that since his time of playing in the NHL to now he never heard a college guy playing pro hockey say he regretted playing college hockey. At the same time, he said he has heard a number of pro guys who didn't play college hockey say they wished they had done the college route. A pretty ringing endorsement from a guy who has been around the game for a long time.

I am not saying college is for everybody. It isn't. But even if they leave early, college players gain as an overall person from their experience that they likely wouldn't had they gone a different route. It seems to me that this school of thought is gaining momentum with a lot of top young players (Kessel, Skille, Stoa, Jack Johnson, Toews, Anthony Esposito, etc.) and I don't think they will regret it in the end. They don't buy into the old boy network's hoopla about there is only one way to go
 
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VOB

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PuckFan01 said:
My point is that once their career is over (or maybe when their career is more established), they'll be able to finish more easily and faster. These guys seem to value that even though they may end up leaving early if they get some big money thrown their way. I don't blame them for signing early because there are no guarantees they won't get hurt and lose their opportunity.



And my point is that they do not earn their degree, proving that it was not a primary aim. The elite players are there to play hockey with schooling placing a distant second.

Yes they may finish their degree after playing in the NHL but cannot a CHL player do the same? Are you not aware that they to take college classes while playing and many have a year, or even two under their belt before turning pro.

Yes education is a fine thing but as Bill Guerin once stated about his decision to leave school early for the pros-

"I have the rest of my life to get my degree but a short time to play in the NHL."


My feeling is that Mueller is still leaning towards the college route but once again Puckstop, do not be the least bit surprised to see him in the WHL next season.
 

cagney

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PuckFan01 said:
Remarks like yours are ridiculous. Is Phil Kessel going to get to the NHL any faster if he played in the WHL? No. Guys who are expected to go very high in the draft (like Kessel, Toews and Mueller) have the kind of talent that they can chose their own path and still get to the NHL at pretty much the same pace no matter which route they take.

Mueller will be a top 10 draft pick with or without the WHL and will still get to the pros. The difference is he didn't grow up dreaming of playing in the WHL. However, he did grow up dreaming of playing for the hometown college hockey team

Guys like Vanek, Parise and a number of other high draft picks from college still get paid their big cash and they get to the pros. They may spend some time in the minors but there are plenty of WHL guys who end up having stays in the minors as well so that is a moot point.

The "right" path is simply the one that is best for that particular individual. The idea that there is a "quickest" path is just a bunch of hoopla spouted by those people who don't like their old boys network to be threatened.

I don't think this is a matter of WHL vs. NCAA. I think it's a matter of WHL to NHL vs. USHL to NCAA. Mueller is a player that could potentially get looks at the NHL level as an 18 year old, whether he belongs there or not. I'm sure he is way more excited about playing in the NHL and making big money than he would ever be about playing for the Gophers and going to class.

You can't compare Mueller to guys like Vanek and Parise because as good as they were in thier freshman years nobody had them rated as high first rounders for the draft the year before. Kessel and Toews' situations don't apply here either because they'll be playing in the NCAA before thier draft takes place. If Mueller could go to the NCAA this year I think he would, but the fact that he has to wait another year (his draft year) while playing in an inferior league could very well push him towards the WHL.

You can think my opinion is as ridiculous as you want to but I think it's ridiculous that you can't see the position of strength the WHL route holds in this particular situation. You sound more like a Gopher fan with a strong case of denial than an objective observer.
 

Rabid Ranger

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cagney said:
I don't think this is a matter of WHL vs. NCAA. I think it's a matter of WHL to NHL vs. USHL to NCAA. Mueller is a player that could potentially get looks at the NHL level as an 18 year old, whether he belongs there or not. I'm sure he is way more excited about playing in the NHL and making big money than he would ever be about playing for the Gophers and going to class.

You can't compare Mueller to guys like Vanek and Parise because as good as they were in thier freshman years nobody had them rated as high first rounders for the draft the year before. Kessel and Toews' situations don't apply here either because they'll be playing in the NCAA before thier draft takes place. If Mueller could go to the NCAA this year I think he would, but the fact that he has to wait another year (his draft year) while playing in an inferior league could very well push him towards the WHL.

You can think my opinion is as ridiculous as you want to but I think it's ridiculous that you can't see the position of strength the WHL route holds in this particular situation. You sound more like a Gopher fan with a strong case of denial than an objective observer.



Personally, I hope Mueller does play in the WHL. It would be nice to have a high profile American in that league, especially with the WJC's in Vancouver next year. Maybe then the U.S. brass wouldn't ignore quality players from there they like they usually do.
 

BobMarleyNYR

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As of right now, IMO.

Crosby>Kessel>Joensuu>Kopitar>Ryan>Mueller>Toews>Pouliot

And Johnson is way above Little... Johnson will probably be better than Phaneuf. But Little is better than Barker and Coburn, just about equal to Suter.
 

cagney

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BobMarleyNYR said:
As of right now, IMO.

Crosby>Kessel>Joensuu>Kopitar>Ryan>Mueller>Toews>Pouliot

And Johnson is way above Little... Johnson will probably be better than Phaneuf. But Little is better than Barker and Coburn, just about equal to Suter.

That's great that you have an opinion on the matter but Little is a forward.
 

monster_bertuzzi

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BobMarleyNYR said:
As of right now, IMO.

Crosby>Kessel>Brule>Joensuu>Kopitar>Ryan>Mueller>Toews>Pouliot

And Johnson is way above Little... Johnson will probably be better than Phaneuf. But Little is better than Barker and Coburn, just about equal to Suter.

Fixed.
 
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